History

What once began with 32 potato farmers sitting around a
kitchen table has now, half a century later, grown to become a
global concern.From its inception in 1962, 'Potato Processing
Industry Keppel and Environs' (Aardappel Verwerkende Industrie
Keppel en Omstreken, Aviko) has appeared to be a down-to-earth and
ambitious organisation with just one aim: creating value from
potatoes.

1962 - 1999

It all began in an old dairy factory in Hoog Keppel. This then
led to the production of chilled chips in wooden crates, quickly
followed by the first frozen products. A relocation to Steenderen
followed in 1967, where an old stone factory offered more space for
Aviko's ambition. Aviko liked to look further than the borders,
particularly where it concerned the development of new potato
products.

In the early seventies, for example, Aviko was one of the first
companies outside Switzerland to produce Rösti. Fruitful decades
followed during which Aviko acquired an increasingly firmer
position within Europe, with the German and French markets leading
the way. The wall fell and Aviko quickly manifested itself as the
market leader in Eastern Europe, partly due to the construction of
a factory in Poland. In the nineties, the first expansion outside
Europe was sought and Aviko gained a firm foothold in other
continents. From then on, Aviko became the global player that
managed to get high-quality potato products on the table in more
and more countries. This is a development of which we are proud,
but also one about which we remain calm. In our hearts, we are
still just potato farmers from Keppel.

2000 - present

In the current century, emphasis is mainly on expanding the
potato range with high-quality potato specialities. Aviko joins
forces with Eurofrits which provides us with a nice supplement in
the appetizer range. A significant expansion of the Aviko mashed
potato and potato gratin product range has been achieved through
the takeover of the Belgian Eurofreez.